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Belliger
XSergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
374 posts this site
The Mausingfield
01/02/2015 Last edited 01/02/2015 by Belliger
An afternoon with Ted from ARC
I had the opportunity to spend a couple hours at the ARC shop talking with Ted about his actions and playing with a Mausingfield in a XLR chassis I brought with me.
First I would like to say Ted is a fantastic person to talk to. When asked a question he does not just give a simple answer, he spends the effort making sure you understand WHY it is that way. For example, I asked why his scope rings required so much more torque than typical rings. What followed was a 10 minute explanation of torque, leverage and friction coefficients compete with free form diagrams on a white board - it was fantastic. In case your wondering it is due to the reduction of leverage when torquing screws of a larger diameter. A M8 screw will require more torque to achieve the same clamping force vs a M6 screw.
The Mausingfield.
I was really impressed with this action. It is very solidly built and every aspect of it has been well thought out. For example, in it's current design it uses small shank savage threads for the barrel, giving you a switch barrel ability using a savage lock nut. No spring for the ejector made bolt assembly and dis-assembly super easy (I watched him assemble a bolt in about 30 seconds). I was playing around with one of the actions with some red layout dye on the locking lugs, there was completely even contact on both sides. The camming action was very smooth both ways and there was 0 lateral play when the bolt was in battery. I would be remiss though if I did not talk about one of the coolest features - the 50/50 and 105/-5 cocking options.
The 50/50
This is a really cool option. What I found interesting is that Ted and I liked it for opposite bolt manipulation techniques. Ted liked it for the open palm style. When manipulating the bolt lifting it with the index finger the lower cocking force requirement meant that it was not as hard on your finger. The bolt handle did indeed capture the finger well and it was easy to rotate and pull your hand back to bring the bolt back. Here is where Ted and I differed. Ted could easily use his thumb to push the bolt forward and close the bolt on the other 50% of the cocking force. I however had a hard time with the technique. I found that I had to partially wrap my thumb around the handle to cock it which was a little awkward. However I loved the 50/50 for the full fist style. With the bolt in my fist I found manipulation very fast with less rifle movement on the upstroke and little movement on the down stroke.
The 105/-5
This is another neat feature. All the cocking is done on the upstroke like on a traditional rifle. However what makes this really neat is that there is a separate pin in the bolt shroud that prevents the bolt from rotating unless it is pressed against the rear of the receiver, as is the case as the bolt is pushed fully forward. This replaces the traditional method of retaining the bolt handle which is have the firing pin rest slightly behind the cocking ramp and require some additional force to overcome that position in the down stroke. The result of this is that on the Mausingfield the bolt almost falls into battery when it is pushed forward. For me this was the easier of the two for the open palm manipulation as my thumb was very easily able to glide the bolt into battery.
I have to say though that the bolt on the Mausingfield, particularly the 105/-5 likes to be run fast. When slowly cycling the bolt on the 105/-5 the need for the retention pin to be depressed against the rear of the receiver before the bolt could start to rotate into battery felt a little clunky. However this could have been because it was a new action and that would go away once it was broken in. And was not a factor at all if the bolt was pushed fast.
The machining process is done on some seriously nice equipment as the equipment is shared with a aerospace company. They had the biggest CNC machine I have ever seen, requiring it's own platform to access the tooling (this was not the machine the Mausingfield was made on, I just thought it was awesome). The bolt handles are welded to the bolt body on a inertia welder then bored for the firing pin. I was had pressed to identify the weld line once the bolts were machined. Overall I was impressed with the manufacturing process done on the action, each and every part was done in a CNC machine of some kind.
At the end of my tour I decided to put a deposit down. I still don't know if I want the 50/50 or the 105/-5, but I was told I could change my mind at any time and swap one for the other. I really like what Ted has done at ARC and look forward to seeing what innovations come next.
Rate now:
LongRiflesInc
XFirst Sergeant
Rating: 3.3/5 this site
5415 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
Having the opportunity to work on these is a treat.
So nice I've got 3 on the way!
Rate now:
wapiti16bXGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.0/5 this site
670 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
Do you have any pictures you'd like to share ?
Rate now:
Midwestside
XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
588 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
Forget the pics. Do yourself a favor and look up arc's videos on the mausingfield on YouTube. It's pretty clear they know their chit and can explain every detail that went into the design(s) as the op stated. Interesting stuff.
Rate now:
SHDiverdonXFirst Sergeant
Rating: 3.3/5 this site
1653 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
I can't wait to hear how they shoot. Can you compare how they look to a current production Surgeon?
Rate now:
mm509XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
528 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
I consider Ted a good friend, if he likes it or not. The manufacturing facility that Ted produces his actions at, in a word is....Precision. The facility has alot of extremely intelligent individuals there. I am not going to name any names, but it is extremely humbling every time I walk in that facility.
I am an AWS Certified Welding Inspector, and the inertia process used to weld the bolt handles to the bolt bodies, is a flawless weld. It produces grain structures similar to 100% machined blocks of material, but it keeps the cost to the shooter minimized because minimal material and machining costs. **Keep in mind - inertia welded bolts is the norm for 1 piece bolts / used by everybody advertising 1 pc bolts**
I have had the opportunity to shoot both the 50/50 and the 108/-8. I prefer the 108/-8. I personally felt that the 50/50 had a pressure spike in the bolt down movement, about mid-stroke. The 108/-8 is smooth the whole way, both on bolt open & bolt down. Bolt lift is a little bit stiffer than the 50/50, but at least 1/2 the effort is required to open the 108/-8 vs. a standard Remington 700. Bolt down, as the OP stated, literally almost pulls itself closed. With the action in a stock, and actually shooting the Mausingfield, the bolt lift is not even noticed.
Here are some pics for the enjoyment of the crowd..
[IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3063_zpsf62718f9.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3063_zpsf62718f9.jpg"}[/IMG2] [IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3066_zpscd3ecf47.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3066_zpscd3ecf47.jpg"}[/IMG2] [IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3067_zpsc696986d.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3067_zpsc696986d.jpg"}[/IMG2] [IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3182_zps0a404287.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3182_zps0a404287.jpg"}[/IMG2] [IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3183a_zps8cd736b5.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3183a_zps8cd736b5.jpg"}[/IMG2]
Rate now:
SHDiverdonXFirst Sergeant
Rating: 3.3/5 this site
1653 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
MM509 thanks for the pictures. Is that one of these proof research carbon fiber wrapped barrels? How does the rifle shoot for you? Did Ted recommend the barrel for his action?
Rate now:
mm509XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
528 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/03/2015
(1 vote)
Yes sir, that is one of Proof's carbon wrapped barrels. I do not know if Ted recommended the Proof barrel or not. The carbon wrapped barrel is a buddy of mine's. Mine (my wife's) is the 17" barrel in the Xray.
I had tossed around the idea of a carbon wrapped barrel, but for the money of the Proof barrels, I just can not justify it. Especially as much as I shoot. I have found a love with Benchmark Barrels, that I honestly do not see changing. I have had no less than 10 Benchmark barreled rifles, and I can attest, that everyone has shot amazingly, cleaned easier than any barrel "I" have had, and don't seem to die. Benchmark does have some interesting stuff in the works though....but I will leave that for them to divulge on.
A little range report on the 17" Benchmark Barreled rifle.....I finally got a chance to shoot it. I literally shot 2 of the best groups of my entire life with it. I wasn't even feeding it anything fancy, just Hornady factory 140 AMAX & some Hornady factory 120 AMAX. I didn't take pictures of the groups, because them being the best groups I have ever shot, if they are flukes, I don't want to be claiming something that I can't repeat. If I can repeat them though....I am either going to cut the groups out, frame them and never shoot again. They were literally 1 hole groups & I am not talking cloverleaf groups....but groups down in the .100" stuff. As I stated before, if I can do it again, I will post some group pictures.
The Mausingfield though, is by far the smoothest running action I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. I was mag feeding most all the shots, but with the Mauser extractor, I wanted to single feed a few to see how they felt. I honestly could not tell the difference during the bolt close operation, that it did not come off the mag.
I honestly cannot put in typed words how impressed I am with these actions. They are everything you could want or need, and nothing you don't. A person needs to honestly ask themselves, "What more could you want in an action?" The only thing not incorporated in this thing is; A 3 position safety (but when does one honestly need a 3 position safety) and AW mag cut (but the new Alpha Type 2 mags are working pretty good).
Rate now:
nexusfireXFirst Sergeant
Rating: 2.6/5 this site
1651 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/03/2015
(2 votes)
I think that guy in the video said "uhhh" about 739 times. Could not finish watching it.
Rate now:
Assault116XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.3/5 this site
520 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/03/2015
For those of you who've got one of these, or have talked with Ted in person, I have a question that doesn't seem to get answered in the videos.
In his safety test video, he has a unit they tested with 300WSM with a cleaning rod in the barrel to see what happened, this perked my ears up and brought the question to mind.
Is the bolt head "drop" in swap-able? ie for a switch barrel setup, or just wanting to switch out from 308 family to WSM/SAUM family of cartridges. And if so any news on when the replacement bolt heads would be available?
I don't see why it wouldn't be but it's never explicitly said in any of the videos I've seen, and isn't mentioned on the website (that I could find anyway), if so this is just another big plus to this action. I'm strongly considering one of these as my first "custom" action. Right now I don't see a downside to it.
Rate now:
mm509XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
528 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/03/2015
(2 votes)
Assualt,
To answer your question, Yes the bolt heads are drop in interchangeability. The WSM/SAUM bolt faces are readily available...although I can not give you any pricing details. If I recall though, you also need a different extractor for the larger cases also. The entire bolt tears down rather quickly with the tools you should have in your Borka kit in your pack.
Hope I answered your question. I thought Ted had a video of him tearing the bolt down?
Now I need to defend Ted a little bit....he does say, "umm" alot in his videos, but we should be grateful that he does because that is him applying the brakes on his mind. Ted is by far one of the smartest individuals I have ever met. He could easily explain stuff in mechanical terms that would have most of us blowing smoke out of our ears and eyeballs, but he slows it down substantially to accurate depict what he is trying to convey. Ted is an engineer & designer by trade...typically we never see those guys as they are not very good at marketing products...but they are the ones that can answer every question...ultimately the individuals we look to talk to when we have a question on something. I can tolerate the "umm" all the time, knowing full and well that I am getting the answer(s) straight from the designer/engineer's mouth.
XSergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
374 posts this site
The Mausingfield
01/02/2015 Last edited 01/02/2015 by Belliger
An afternoon with Ted from ARC
I had the opportunity to spend a couple hours at the ARC shop talking with Ted about his actions and playing with a Mausingfield in a XLR chassis I brought with me.
First I would like to say Ted is a fantastic person to talk to. When asked a question he does not just give a simple answer, he spends the effort making sure you understand WHY it is that way. For example, I asked why his scope rings required so much more torque than typical rings. What followed was a 10 minute explanation of torque, leverage and friction coefficients compete with free form diagrams on a white board - it was fantastic. In case your wondering it is due to the reduction of leverage when torquing screws of a larger diameter. A M8 screw will require more torque to achieve the same clamping force vs a M6 screw.
The Mausingfield.
I was really impressed with this action. It is very solidly built and every aspect of it has been well thought out. For example, in it's current design it uses small shank savage threads for the barrel, giving you a switch barrel ability using a savage lock nut. No spring for the ejector made bolt assembly and dis-assembly super easy (I watched him assemble a bolt in about 30 seconds). I was playing around with one of the actions with some red layout dye on the locking lugs, there was completely even contact on both sides. The camming action was very smooth both ways and there was 0 lateral play when the bolt was in battery. I would be remiss though if I did not talk about one of the coolest features - the 50/50 and 105/-5 cocking options.
The 50/50
This is a really cool option. What I found interesting is that Ted and I liked it for opposite bolt manipulation techniques. Ted liked it for the open palm style. When manipulating the bolt lifting it with the index finger the lower cocking force requirement meant that it was not as hard on your finger. The bolt handle did indeed capture the finger well and it was easy to rotate and pull your hand back to bring the bolt back. Here is where Ted and I differed. Ted could easily use his thumb to push the bolt forward and close the bolt on the other 50% of the cocking force. I however had a hard time with the technique. I found that I had to partially wrap my thumb around the handle to cock it which was a little awkward. However I loved the 50/50 for the full fist style. With the bolt in my fist I found manipulation very fast with less rifle movement on the upstroke and little movement on the down stroke.
The 105/-5
This is another neat feature. All the cocking is done on the upstroke like on a traditional rifle. However what makes this really neat is that there is a separate pin in the bolt shroud that prevents the bolt from rotating unless it is pressed against the rear of the receiver, as is the case as the bolt is pushed fully forward. This replaces the traditional method of retaining the bolt handle which is have the firing pin rest slightly behind the cocking ramp and require some additional force to overcome that position in the down stroke. The result of this is that on the Mausingfield the bolt almost falls into battery when it is pushed forward. For me this was the easier of the two for the open palm manipulation as my thumb was very easily able to glide the bolt into battery.
I have to say though that the bolt on the Mausingfield, particularly the 105/-5 likes to be run fast. When slowly cycling the bolt on the 105/-5 the need for the retention pin to be depressed against the rear of the receiver before the bolt could start to rotate into battery felt a little clunky. However this could have been because it was a new action and that would go away once it was broken in. And was not a factor at all if the bolt was pushed fast.
The machining process is done on some seriously nice equipment as the equipment is shared with a aerospace company. They had the biggest CNC machine I have ever seen, requiring it's own platform to access the tooling (this was not the machine the Mausingfield was made on, I just thought it was awesome). The bolt handles are welded to the bolt body on a inertia welder then bored for the firing pin. I was had pressed to identify the weld line once the bolts were machined. Overall I was impressed with the manufacturing process done on the action, each and every part was done in a CNC machine of some kind.
At the end of my tour I decided to put a deposit down. I still don't know if I want the 50/50 or the 105/-5, but I was told I could change my mind at any time and swap one for the other. I really like what Ted has done at ARC and look forward to seeing what innovations come next.
Rate now:
LongRiflesInc
XFirst Sergeant
Rating: 3.3/5 this site
5415 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
Having the opportunity to work on these is a treat.
So nice I've got 3 on the way!
Rate now:
wapiti16bXGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.0/5 this site
670 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
Do you have any pictures you'd like to share ?
Rate now:
Midwestside
XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
588 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
Forget the pics. Do yourself a favor and look up arc's videos on the mausingfield on YouTube. It's pretty clear they know their chit and can explain every detail that went into the design(s) as the op stated. Interesting stuff.
Rate now:
SHDiverdonXFirst Sergeant
Rating: 3.3/5 this site
1653 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
I can't wait to hear how they shoot. Can you compare how they look to a current production Surgeon?
Rate now:
mm509XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
528 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
I consider Ted a good friend, if he likes it or not. The manufacturing facility that Ted produces his actions at, in a word is....Precision. The facility has alot of extremely intelligent individuals there. I am not going to name any names, but it is extremely humbling every time I walk in that facility.
I am an AWS Certified Welding Inspector, and the inertia process used to weld the bolt handles to the bolt bodies, is a flawless weld. It produces grain structures similar to 100% machined blocks of material, but it keeps the cost to the shooter minimized because minimal material and machining costs. **Keep in mind - inertia welded bolts is the norm for 1 piece bolts / used by everybody advertising 1 pc bolts**
I have had the opportunity to shoot both the 50/50 and the 108/-8. I prefer the 108/-8. I personally felt that the 50/50 had a pressure spike in the bolt down movement, about mid-stroke. The 108/-8 is smooth the whole way, both on bolt open & bolt down. Bolt lift is a little bit stiffer than the 50/50, but at least 1/2 the effort is required to open the 108/-8 vs. a standard Remington 700. Bolt down, as the OP stated, literally almost pulls itself closed. With the action in a stock, and actually shooting the Mausingfield, the bolt lift is not even noticed.
Here are some pics for the enjoyment of the crowd..
[IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3063_zpsf62718f9.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3063_zpsf62718f9.jpg"}[/IMG2] [IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3066_zpscd3ecf47.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3066_zpscd3ecf47.jpg"}[/IMG2] [IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3067_zpsc696986d.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3067_zpsc696986d.jpg"}[/IMG2] [IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3182_zps0a404287.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3182_zps0a404287.jpg"}[/IMG2] [IMG2=JSON]{"alt":" photo IMG_3183a_zps8cd736b5.jpg","data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i864.photobucket.com\/albums\/ab203\/mmedearis509\/IMG_3183a_zps8cd736b5.jpg"}[/IMG2]
Rate now:
SHDiverdonXFirst Sergeant
Rating: 3.3/5 this site
1653 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/02/2015
MM509 thanks for the pictures. Is that one of these proof research carbon fiber wrapped barrels? How does the rifle shoot for you? Did Ted recommend the barrel for his action?
Rate now:
mm509XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
528 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/03/2015
(1 vote)
Yes sir, that is one of Proof's carbon wrapped barrels. I do not know if Ted recommended the Proof barrel or not. The carbon wrapped barrel is a buddy of mine's. Mine (my wife's) is the 17" barrel in the Xray.
I had tossed around the idea of a carbon wrapped barrel, but for the money of the Proof barrels, I just can not justify it. Especially as much as I shoot. I have found a love with Benchmark Barrels, that I honestly do not see changing. I have had no less than 10 Benchmark barreled rifles, and I can attest, that everyone has shot amazingly, cleaned easier than any barrel "I" have had, and don't seem to die. Benchmark does have some interesting stuff in the works though....but I will leave that for them to divulge on.
A little range report on the 17" Benchmark Barreled rifle.....I finally got a chance to shoot it. I literally shot 2 of the best groups of my entire life with it. I wasn't even feeding it anything fancy, just Hornady factory 140 AMAX & some Hornady factory 120 AMAX. I didn't take pictures of the groups, because them being the best groups I have ever shot, if they are flukes, I don't want to be claiming something that I can't repeat. If I can repeat them though....I am either going to cut the groups out, frame them and never shoot again. They were literally 1 hole groups & I am not talking cloverleaf groups....but groups down in the .100" stuff. As I stated before, if I can do it again, I will post some group pictures.
The Mausingfield though, is by far the smoothest running action I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. I was mag feeding most all the shots, but with the Mauser extractor, I wanted to single feed a few to see how they felt. I honestly could not tell the difference during the bolt close operation, that it did not come off the mag.
I honestly cannot put in typed words how impressed I am with these actions. They are everything you could want or need, and nothing you don't. A person needs to honestly ask themselves, "What more could you want in an action?" The only thing not incorporated in this thing is; A 3 position safety (but when does one honestly need a 3 position safety) and AW mag cut (but the new Alpha Type 2 mags are working pretty good).
Rate now:
nexusfireXFirst Sergeant
Rating: 2.6/5 this site
1651 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/03/2015
(2 votes)
I think that guy in the video said "uhhh" about 739 times. Could not finish watching it.
Rate now:
Assault116XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.3/5 this site
520 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/03/2015
For those of you who've got one of these, or have talked with Ted in person, I have a question that doesn't seem to get answered in the videos.
In his safety test video, he has a unit they tested with 300WSM with a cleaning rod in the barrel to see what happened, this perked my ears up and brought the question to mind.
Is the bolt head "drop" in swap-able? ie for a switch barrel setup, or just wanting to switch out from 308 family to WSM/SAUM family of cartridges. And if so any news on when the replacement bolt heads would be available?
I don't see why it wouldn't be but it's never explicitly said in any of the videos I've seen, and isn't mentioned on the website (that I could find anyway), if so this is just another big plus to this action. I'm strongly considering one of these as my first "custom" action. Right now I don't see a downside to it.
Rate now:
mm509XGunny Sergeant
Rating: 3.2/5 this site
528 posts this site
Re: The Mausingfield
01/03/2015
(2 votes)
Assualt,
To answer your question, Yes the bolt heads are drop in interchangeability. The WSM/SAUM bolt faces are readily available...although I can not give you any pricing details. If I recall though, you also need a different extractor for the larger cases also. The entire bolt tears down rather quickly with the tools you should have in your Borka kit in your pack.
Hope I answered your question. I thought Ted had a video of him tearing the bolt down?
Now I need to defend Ted a little bit....he does say, "umm" alot in his videos, but we should be grateful that he does because that is him applying the brakes on his mind. Ted is by far one of the smartest individuals I have ever met. He could easily explain stuff in mechanical terms that would have most of us blowing smoke out of our ears and eyeballs, but he slows it down substantially to accurate depict what he is trying to convey. Ted is an engineer & designer by trade...typically we never see those guys as they are not very good at marketing products...but they are the ones that can answer every question...ultimately the individuals we look to talk to when we have a question on something. I can tolerate the "umm" all the time, knowing full and well that I am getting the answer(s) straight from the designer/engineer's mouth.
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